Watch: Spectacular scenes as colourful puppet parade makes its way through Nottingham

Nottingham came alive this weekend, as colourful puppets took over the city centre for parades and performances.

Nottingham Puppet Festival is running from April 9 - 21, giving you plenty of time to enjoy all the masterful puppetry it has to offer.

Saturday’s City Centre Day was jam-packed with puppet processions that drew crowds eager to see creatives in action. 

Giant giraffes, exotic zebras, multi-colored dragons, and more could be seen on the streets of Nottingham.

One of the show-stopping parades was performed by the award-winning Mahogany Carnival Design.

They are no strangers to the big stage, having previously performed at Notting Hill Carnival and the late Queen’s Platinum Jubilee Parade.

Their unforgettable show saw them cross Old Market Square, greeting adoring fans along the way.

Another brilliant puppet show was the Ancient Giants performance by Inspirate.

Taking place on Listergate, two 12 foot puppets did battle in an exciting fusion of large scale puppetry, martial arts, storytelling and physical theatre. 

You can watch the show that we filmed live (on Saturday April 13) by clicking here.

Talks, workshops and exhibitions unfolded throughout Saturday at various locations across the city.

Nottingham Central Library hosted children’s shows The Search for Teddy Island, Charlie Comet and the Magic in the Attic.

We caught up with Izzy Hollis who was gearing up for her Teddy Island show at Nottingham Central Library.

She will also be performing Why Fish as part of Puppet Cabaret on Thursday April 18 at 10.30pm at Nottingham’s Royal Concert Hall.

Here is what she had to say about the festival and why the teddy bear shows held a special place in her heart.

A few miles away, Sneinton Market held a By Our Hands workshop where people could make their own puppet from repurposed materials. 

A Puppet Cabaret was the grand finale of the day which saw risqué puppet performances with an entertaining twist. 

The city-wide, community-focused festival is a real celebration of puppets and people.

There are plenty of shows in the coming days that will form a packed roster of events at the Nottingham Puppet Festival.

For more information about the festival visit their website by clicking here.